China rebukes Tibetan monastery at heart of self-immolation protests

BEIJING – Chinese officials have castigated a Tibetan monastery at the center of a wave of self-immolations, saying it has been inciting the fiery protests. They also indicate authorities will not relax controls over the region.

Wu Zegang, the governor of Aba prefecture in southwest China, said Thursday the local Kirti monastery was collaborating with exiled Tibetans, including spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, to organize locals to set themselves on fire.

Wu did not offer any concrete evidence to substantiate his claim. The Dalai Lama and exiled Tibetans have said it is Beijing's repressive controls that drive the protests.

Kirti's monks have been at the forefront of unrest since Tibetan communities across western China rose up in a rebellion in 2008 that was quashed by a massive and continuing show of force.